Hi I'm new, heres a short novel

[Kurbycar32]

Ive actually been on the forum since about July but mostly just lurking and collecting information. About me:

My first project was a POS fox body mustang that was given to me as my first car. It was a legitimate basket case but i ended up touching every part of it at least twice, swapping motors and even transplanting a fuel injection system.

I then moved away for college, dumped the heap and concentrated on motorcycles. The bikes were easy to keep in a car port or even drag into the living room for work plus i learned a bunch about fiberglass and weight distribution.

I started looking for a project car when i was about 27 with the following requirements:

1. It had to be pre-smog (1975) for california
   
2. It needed to handle well (most american cars out)
   
3. my wife had to like it
   
4. it couldnt be ugly
   

I briefly considered a Ford Maverick due to my Mustang experience and it generally met my requirements but thought it was too ugly and my wife didn't like it. The Z series came up constantly and was always my number one choice, but the wife wanted a 4 seater so i ended up without a car.

When I was 28 my father asks me to help him find a Z car for him to restore. He owned a 260z when i was a kid and he loved it but he needed a daily driver for his 160 mile daily commute. His Z was pretty reliable but he didn't have the time to keep it running, plus as a mechanic the last thing he wanted to work on was another car. He ended up with a series of Ford escorts that he literally threw away every 5-6 years. Since he hadn't been a mechanic for about 20 years he was ready for some recreational wrenching.

So at this point I'm thinking dad is an A-hole for asking me to help him buy the car I have been lusting over for years, but he's the dad so i roll with it and help look. After a few months a 1974 260z came up for $2200 about 60 miles from home. The car had a really straight body and was surprisingly complete but didn't run, not a problem for a couple of mechanics. After some haggling and discovery of DMV fees we pick up the car for $1600. Dad has his Z, I go home and vent to the wife.

Dad and i have some father son weekend mechanic action and get the car started and running the first weekend of ownership. After the second weekend its mobile and after 4 weeks its basically a car again though kind of clunker. During all of this dad has me sourcing all of his parts which was confusing but i figured he was busy or something so i just handled it. After seeing our "male bonding" activity's my wife decides that the Z is a pretty awesome car and decides I probably should get one too. I start looking..

My 29th birthday rolls around and dad just hands me the keys to the Z. It turns out that was his secret plan all along since he knew I wanted one. There was a reason i was always there when it was being worked on, why i was finding all of the parts, why i was selecting which things to upgrade, why i ended up buying all the special tools. Way to go dad

Flash forward to now. I have owned the car since July and its now painted and in really good running condition. Currently I have the dash out, its been cleaned and had all the bulbs changed. Theres also an AC system going in. The goal is to have a daily driver with AC by the time summer comes. Thats the life story as it relates to the Z. Kurbycar32, owner of RLS30005643

I take pictures of everything i do. Im putting together a web site for the car project thats mostly just pictures but ill keep adding to it and eventually put some stories in. https://sites.google.com/a/thecomputerrehab.com/260z/home

Edited March 28, 2012 by Kurbycar32

[72 OJ]

Welcome to Z land... the family pictures are great.

[KAL7467]

The 260 is looking good and your dad is a awsome guy.I hope to start minor refreshes with both my boys when they are each 14/15 so by the time they have a license they understand how a car works and hopefully respect and apreciate it. Plus it will be a good excuse to get 2 move Zed in the family...

[LeonV]

Great job! I take out RLS30-004406 on nice days, maybe I'll see you around!